Cotton picker



Oct 13' R. l.. McGl-:HEE

COTTON PICKER Filed Feb. s; 1923 INVENTOR yfRBet @Gehee dell whom it may cadera-'.- I Be it lknown that I, ROBERT Patented Oct.` 13,- 1925.

laminar MQGEHEE, :or NEWLYORK, N. Y.

oo'r'roN Proxim.

L. MCGEHE, a citizen of theUnited States, residing at `New York city,'New York, have invented a fcertain new fand useful Improvement in Cotton Pickers, of which the following is a clear,ffull", and exact description.'

" This invention relates to cotton pickers,

and particularlyto'v cotton picker headsof the type shown in U. S. Letters Patent yto vIra. E; '-McGehee,"No. 1,372,711, granted lied has proved in actual use not onlyto be a great labor saver, but also to effect' a `marked increasein the capacity of the operator thereo'f,without the drawbacks hitherto experienced in 'the mechanical picking of cotton,. such asl the picking of leaves, fst-ichs, boils, etc; In'the operation of lthis mechanism, as pointed out in the Letters frat-eat, a is desirable um the picker fingers reciprocate at comparatively high speed; `'The fingers not only reciprocate but itheipicking ends thereof oscillate, these. ends y' moving intoxclosed position at `theendof vvthe outward stroke' and Vmoving intoopen position at the'end of the inward stroke. i

rIn view of vthe high speedA at which these picker fingers operate7 it* is important and essential that they be so: constructed and ar- -pitmanconnection on the `line 4-'-l4of'Fi'g. 1; "'Fig. 5k is" an enlarged perspective of th'e end of the lingersho'wing the `lateral guards y`which prevent the picking of pods/leaves, sticks and lothery 'undesirable material; i

ranged that 'their' operation` shall besuchv as to' produce a minimum of wear, thereby "avoiding the necessity for frequent'replacement. i In thel construction illustrated in the patent abovegident'ified, the oscillation of the finger at the end '0f each' stroke is jefconstruction fe'cted through the: inertia, of'v afweight attached thereto,`the inertia of tthevveight4 operating as the reciprocating 4part of Vthe finger comes to rest to ca use thevoscillating I part thereof to oscillatel on its pivotal connection'with the partthat only reciprocates.

Yrlhe amount of thisoscillation is'flimitedv -by V- i l 1 nther modification showing still another v '-means' of operating the finger; through the D rv'inertia'of "ajweight, which?embodieslthe fpresentinventiom and "Furthermore, inthe construct-ion shownv in thek Letters Patent, the weight, through 'the inertia of which the 'nger end'is caused to oscillate, also partakes of the oscillating movement of the linger end, and thev stopv which determines the inward movement of shown in Fig.L 6;

@Figii 8 illustrates. a AmOdi/d '000th' 00H' the finger end is so lo'catedvthat the: vweight first travels with the finger in jitsreciprofeating travel and then travels with` the lofscillating end ofthe finger'through itsfpa'th Vof oscillation, beingstopped at1 the end of itsy oscillating travel by a sto whichr isbe- .Y Y

tween the weight andf the plvotdonfwhich the finger os'cillates."v .f I 'y A It has en' found in practicethatbyi'reason of this ,changev in direction of thejmovement of the weightandxthe stoppingof the v 'weight by a stop thus located, the pivotal bearing of the finger is subjected to considerable Wear. An object of the ypresenty invention vis sotoconstruct and arrange the "parts as to reduce this wear toa minimum. Theinvention also Aaims to insure aimore-"v positive oscillation of the picking endof'jthe while the weightfis `operating to effectfoscillation yof l`the fingerr end, particularl movement lintopicking position. l

Other objects and important featuresof the .invention -will appear `from the 'followl'ingdescription and-claims when considered in connection Awiththey'acc'ompa'nying drawings, inwhic'hY l Y i Y lFig. 1 isa side elevation, partly in section," of a cotton picker head embodyingthe present invention;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged `detail elevation' of "oneof the :fingers 'removed fromthe head;

Fig-.L3 is a section through the finger and its Yguidejon the line 3-'3 of Fig."1;- Fig. 4; is a section of the orankvpinlor Fig.' 6 showsia modification lof the x'finger i j` Fig. 'f7-fis l'a plan view oftheI construction struction 'for 'the oscillating ends `fof I' the Afingers;

rig. 911s a. demasa@ eivationl f5-fa. fur- Thefcotton picking mechanism; herein shown, like that shown in the Letters Pattent hereinabove identified, comprises a series of guides 2 carried at the forward end of a tube 4 through which the picked cotton passes, preferably into a brag (not shown) attached to the flange 6 at the rear end of this tube. Each of the fingers, as in the prior construction, is partly supported upon the outer surface of the tube 4 and partly by the guides 2 which, as shown in Fig. 3, guide and support the fin'ger through the weight 8, the weight being of sufficient width so that it rides in the guide and carries the finger suspended through the opening in the bottom of the guide.

In the form of the finger and weight construction shown in Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, the oscillating part 10 of the finger embraces the reciprocating part 12 and has a pivotal connection therewith at 14. The reciprocating part 12 of the finger is provided at its outer end with a stop portion 15 which is also embraced by a bellcrank upward extension 16 of the part 10, the whole being received within the rectangular opening in the weight 8.

' The length of the rectangular opening in the weight 8 is so proportioned to the length of the stop 14 that the lost motion provided will be sufficient to permit the weight 8 to effect the oscillation of the part 10 between its extreme limits of movement, the extension 16 on the part 10 having an easy working fit within the opening in the weight 8 with substantially no lost motion, whereby the movement of the weight 8 is directly transmitted to the oscillating extension 10 on the finger. The weight is preferably confined upon the reciprocating part of the finger by over-hanging projecvvtions 20 which may be attached to the finger or, as shown in Fig. 9, formed by bending laterally to opposite sides integral portions of the linger.

- In the construction lshown in Figs. 9 and 10, a weight 22 is shown whichv is formed with a crossbar 24 connecting two side members, this crossbar lying between upward extensions or bell-crank arms 26 on the oscillating part 'of thel finger and traveling between stops 28 and 30 on the reciprocating part 12 of the finger, which stops have their upper ends bent laterally .in opposite directions to overhang the side This construction members of the weight. also gives a lost motion connection between the weight and the vreciprocating part 12 of the finger sufficient to effect the oscillation of the oscillating part 10 of the finger.

In Figs. 6 and 7 of the drawing is shown still another modification in which the weight is integral with the oscillating' part 32 of the finger, this part differing somewhat in construction'from the oscillating parts described above in this respect, the upwardly extending part or bell-crank arm of the oscillating part 32 being made of sufficient weight to serve the purpose of the separate weight in the other constructions. In the construction shown in Figs. 6 and 7 a pivot 34 extending between the two parts of the oscillating member 32 which embrace the reciprocating part 12 of the finger carries a roller 36 which moves between the ends of an arc-shaped slot 38 inthe reciprocating part 12 of the finger, these ends serving to limit the oscillation of the part 32 and to provide the necessary lost motion during the reciprocating and the oscillating part of the finger to permit the weighted upper part of the oscillating part 32 to effect the oscillation thereof at each end of the reciprocating movement of the part 12.

In Fig. 5 is shown the construction of the lateral guards 40 which project slightly beyond the teeth 42 at the end of the finger, these guards serving to prevent these teeth from engaging he pods, sticks and similar material which otherwise would be picked with the cotton, and to confine the activity of the fingers to the picking of the fibre. These guards are very effective for this purpose.

Like the cotton picker head shown in the Letters Patent above referred to, the illustrated head is provided with a handle 44 by which it may be carried and which has in its forward end the switch buttons 46 and 48contro-lling through wires 50` and 52 the starting and stopping of an electric motor, not shown, usually carried upon the back of the operator, which motor through a flexible shaft, also not shown, is connected to the shaft 54 of a bevelled pinion 56, through which driving of the mechanism for reciprocating the fingers is effected. This mechanism comprises a series of intergeared bevelled gears 57 arranged as shown in the Letters Patent hereinabove identified, except that instead of having the bearings upon the tube as shown in the Letters Patent, the gears in the present construction have the bearings in the castings 58 surrounding the tube, these bearings, as shown at 60, being tapped into the casing 58 and receiving the shafts 62 which carry the gears 57. A more substantial bearing is thus provided than in the construction shown in the Letters Patent.

As in the construction shown in the Letters Patent, the gears 57 are connected to the reciprocating fingers 12 by connecting rods or pitmen 64 received upon crank pins 66 carried by reciprocating parts 12 of these fingers. As shown in Fig. 4, a simple construction of a crankpin suitable for this purpose comprises a cylindrical pin having an integral fla-nge or head 68, and slotted in its lower part to embrace the finger, the pin also being drilled out in its upper part as Y snown' at y70, to receive an integralstud k72 vpairsof fingers will operate in succession.

InFig. 8 of the drawings is shown a modification of thetooth construction on ythe oscillating part of the picker finger wh1ch=1s designed to accomplish the same result v'orV .e e Substantially the same result, as the guards 40 Vshown in'Fig. 5 without appreciably d1- minishing the effectiveness of the picking action of the finger. In other words by broadening the ends ofthe teeth as shown in Fig..

L 8, the teeth will not be sharp enough' to take hold of leaves, sticks and bolls, but will yet be sufficiently sharp to engage the fibre and pick `them clean. f

f YVhat I claim as new is-` i. In a cotton picker, a reciprocating picker fingerhaving at its picking end apart adapted to oscillate, a weight having a 'positively Ylimited lost motion. connection with the reciprocating part Aof 'said finger permit- *i ting movement of said weight onjsa'id finger 'in the same direct-ion at theend of the'positive movement ofthe said weight by said finger, the'coo'perating stopV surfaces on said 'weight and thea-reciprocating part of said finger by which the lost motion is positively limited being all located' substantially in a straight line yand in the lineof reciprocation, connections between the, weight and the' oscillating part of'said finger wherebytheaforesaid movement of'said weight onfsaid finger both effects and' limits'itle 4oscillation of said oscillatingpart.

2. `Ina cotton picker, a reciprocating picker finger'havingat its icking end apart adapted to oscillate, said oscillating-part comprising an arm in bell-crank relation to theipicking end thereof and having a positively limited lost motion connection with the reciprocating part of said finger, the cooperating stop surfaces by which said lost motion is positively limited being substantially in a straight line and in the line of reciprocation of said. reciprocating part, and a weight acting upon .the bell-crank arm of said oscillating part and also having said positively limited lost motion connection with said reciprocating part whereby its inertia effects the oscillation of said oscillating part.

3. In a cotton picker, a reciprocating picker finger having at its picking end a part adapted to oscillate, a weight, connections between said weight and the reciprocating part of said finger comprising cooperating stop .surfaceson {said weight and said finger arranged substantially in a straight linein the vline ofreciprocation to permit a limited movement of'said `Weight on said finger in the same direction at the endv of a positive movement of said weight byl said finger in each direction of the reciprocating movement, and connections between the weight and the' oscillating ypart of said finger whereby the aforesaid relative movement both effects and limits the oscillation of said part.

4. In a cotton picker, a reciprocating picker finger having at itspic'king' end a part adapted to oscillate, a weight having'substantially rectilineally arranged yin the line ofY reciprocation, a positively limited -lost motion connectionY with thel reciprocating part of said finger lpermitting movement of said weight on said finger in the same direction at the yend of the positive movement of saidweight by said finger,"'eonnec tions betweenthev weight and the oscillating part 'of said finger whereby the vaforesaid movement vof said weight on said finger both effects and limits the oscillation ofsaid oscillating part,

and 4means yconfining said weight to a substantially rectilineal path of movement with and relatively to said finger,

k5. In a ycotton'picker,a reciprocating picker' finger having at its picking endy an oscillating part carried thereby, a weight having substantially rectilineally` arranged in the 'line 'of reciprocation, a positively limited lost motion connection withy the'non-oscillating part of 'said finger whereby said weight may move' relatively to said finger the end of its positive movement thereby in each direction, a bell crank arm on'saidl oscillating part through which `the movementof said weight vrelativeto said finger effects the oscillation of said `oscillating part, and

means for confining said weight to a substantially rectilineal path of'movement.

6; In af'cotton picker, a reciprocating 'picker finger comprising ,at its picking end a part'ffadapted to oscillatea weight supported" independently ofthe oscillating part of said finger for rectilineal movement and having a lost'motion connection with said finger permitting a limited relative movement of said weight and finger at the end of the positive movement of said weight by said finger in each direction, and connections between the weight and the oscillating part of said finger whereby such relative movement effects the oscillation of said part. y

7. In a cotton picker, a reciprocating picker finger comprising a rectilineally movable part and an oscillating part pivotally connected to said first-mentioned part at the picking end, a weight having a limited.

lost motion connection with the rectilineally movable part .and engaging the oscillating part at a pomt at one side of its pivot whereby said weight operates through its inertia to effect the oscillation of said oscillating part at the end of each stroke of said reciprocating finger, and means independent of said oscillating part for supporting and guiding said weight in a substantially rectilineal path throughout its movement.

8. In a cotton picker, a reciprocating picker finger comprising a substantially rectilineally movable part and a part pivoted to said first-mentioned part near the picking end to have a limited; oscillating movement thereon, and means for both effecting and limiting said oscillating movement, comprising' a weight having a limited lost motion connection with said rectilineally reciprocating part and an operating connection to said oscillating part whereby its inertia effects the relative movement of said parts at each end of the stroke of the reciprocating finger, and means for supporting said weight in such manner that it does not bear upon the pivotal connection between said parts.

9. In a cotton picker, a reciprocating` toothed finger having an oscillating picking portion at Yits end and guards for the endniost teeth.

10. In a cotton picker, a reciprocating toothed finger having at its'end guards for the endmost teeth.

11. `In a cotton picker, a reciprocating' toothed finger having an oscillating portion at its picking end and having adjacent to the endmost teeth lateral wings guarding and. restricting the action of said teeth to vthe fibre. Y

12. In a cotton picker, a reciprocating toothed finger having an oscillating portion at its picking end, said oscillating portion being provided adjacent its endmost teeth with lateral guards projecting beyond the points of said teeth and laterally spaced therefrom sufficiently to permit said teeth to act upon the cotton fibre without acting upon the leaves and other non-fibrous material with which said finger may come into contact.

13. Inf a cotton picker, a reciprocating finger having pivoted thereon a toothed oscillating part constituting its picking end, a weight ron said oscillating part in bellcrank relation to theline ofteeth on said part, and stops arranged to provide a lost motion connection between said weight and the reciprocating part of said finger, said stops being varranged in line in the line of reciprocation.

14. In a cotton picker, a reciprocating finger havingv pivoted thereon a toothed oscillating portion constituting the picking end of the finger, opposed spaced stops arranged in line in the line of reciprocation of said finger and at one side of said pivot, and an inertia member on said oscillating portion of the finger and movable therewith between said stops.

15. In a cotton picker, a reciprocatingl finger having pivoted thereon a toothed oscillating portion constituting the picking end of the finger, a weight carried by said oscillating portion in bellcrank relation to the teeth thereof, cooperating stops on said reciprocating and oscillating parts of said fingery limiting the oscillating thereof, the stops on said reciprocating part being in line with the rectilineal line of travelV of said weight with said reciprocating part.

16. In a. cotton picker, a reciprocating finger having one edge provided with teeth and having pivoted thereon a toothed oscillating portion constituting the picking end of said finger and providing a continuation of the toothed edge thereof, the opposite edge of said reciprocating finger being provided with stops arranged in lineV in the line of reciprocation, a weight ron said oscillating portion Aarranged to travel therewith between said stops, and lateral guides supporting said weight and through said weight the picking end of said'finger during the reciprocating travel of said finger.

Signed at New York, N. Y. this 30th day of January 1923.

' ROBERT L. MCGEHEE. 

